Marty Schottenheimer, the last coach to leave the Browns with a winning record, was fond of saying play-calling was overrated. His point was the play should work if executed properly no matter what is called.

Football hasn't changed much since Schottenheimer coached the Browns from mid-1984 through 1988. He took them to the playoffs every year he was the head coach for a full season. The Browns played for the AFC championship in the 1986 and '87 seasons.

Complain about Marty-ball and Schottenheimer's playoff record (5-13) all you want. Since he was the Browns' last successful coach (46-31), we will use those teams to measure the current Browns. And the conclusion is, despite the optimism in the locker room, the Browns will continue to be a bottom feeder until they straighten out their problems on offense.

Coach Pat Shurmur proved during the first half of the season he likes a pass-first offense. He is doing so with a rookie quarterback and it isn't working. That doesn't mean Brandon Weeden is a bust as a first-round pick, but it does mean asking him to win the game is too much for him right now.

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Weeden is near the bottom of the league in too many categories to expect the Browns to be better than their 2-7 record. His completion percentage of 55.1 ranks 32nd. Only Mark Sanchez of the Jets is lower at 52.9. His average of 6.2 yards per attempt ranks 30th. That is a huge red flag because one positive stat on Weeden is he is tied for sixth with 29 completions of 20 yards or more.

Weeden has thrown 12 interceptions. Only Tony Romo of the Cowboys with 13 has thrown more. To be fair to Weeden, he was more careful with the ball for a three-game stretch until he threw two more picks against the Ravens last week.

The key to Schottenheimer's notion that play-calling is overrated is having players good enough to properly execute the play called. If I played for the Cavaliers, Byron Scott could design the greatest alley-oop play ever with me on the receiving end, but it would never work because my vertical jump is about two inches.

Josh Gordon and even Greg Little have potential to be very good as wide receivers for the Browns, but neither is that one go-to guy Weeden can always rely on. Colts rookie quarterback Andrew Luck has that guy -- Reggie Wayne. Wayne leads the NFL with 69 catches. Rookie Robert Griffin III doesn't have that one clutch receiver in Washington (Josh Morgan leads with the team with 29 catches but no TDs) which is one reason the Redskins are 3-6 despite RG3's six rushing touchdowns.

Of course, one reason Shurmur asks so much from Weeden is the Browns usually play from behind, but Shurmur abandons the run too quickly. During the game in Baltimore in September, the Browns trailed 9-7 at halftime. A two-point deficit, yet Weeden had already thrown 22 passes. Trent Richardson had 10 carries for 38 yards. Greg Little and Chris Ogbonnaya had one carry each.

The defense has improved steadily after a rocky start. Joe Haden hurt his team by not weighing the consequences of using the banned stimulant Adderall in the offseason. He apologized sincerely to his teammates, coaches and fans. His absence during a four-game suspension might have cost a game or two. We'll never know. But the fact is the Browns gave up nine touchdown passes in the four games he missed and four since he returned.

The Browns miss injured defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin (calf) and injured nickel back Dimitri Patterson. Patterson missed the last four games and Rubin three of the last four. They are out indefinitely.

You have to appreciate the optimism of D'Qwell Jackson. Jackson says the Browns can win their last seven games.

The clock is ticking on Shurmur and he knows it. New owner CEO Joe Banner, put in charge of the Browns by owner Jim Haslam, won't pass judgment on Shurmur, Weeden and General Manager Tom Heckert until the season ends.

Whether Banner and Haslam see enough in Shurmur to look beyond the record is something only they know. If they are, then putting the burden on Weeden to win will benefit Shurmur next year. If not, it will benefit the next coach, unless CEO Joe Banner decides Weeden isn't the answer. Right now, though, the Browns are asking Weeden to do too much.